The Lion that Couldn't Shut Up
by 7Knight-Wolf
Summary: This is partially about Vitani and Kovu, but mostly it's about Nuka being raised by Zira. Sometimes, being a rebel is the right thing. Read and review.
1. Zira's Loss

**Chapter 1: Zira's Loss**

The Lioness paced to and fro, anxious to hear anything about her mate, Zubari. Her claws raked the stony floor of the crevice in which she was hiding. Her three cubs were with her along with a few lionesses who were her supporters.

A messenger lioness, dark-colored and swift, ran to the edge of the cave. The mother, safe on the inside, was ready to pounce if she needed to. She was anxious, and she knew that not even a neutral messenger could be trusted.

"Where is Zubari?" demanded the mother.

The messenger shrank back into the rain, frightened. "I'm sorry, Zira," she said, bowing her head. "Your mate has been killed. He attempted to take down Kopa and Simba, but he only succeeded with the first part."

Zira roared in emotional agony. Her eyes were smoldering like fire and she crazily rampaged around the cave, slicing everything with her paws. The other lionesses in the cave tried to calm her down, but she seemed insane.

"Mother?" asked one of the cubs worriedly. He got as close as he dared to the matron and received a brutal kick in response to his plea.

When Zira heard her son whimpering, she stopped rampaging and looked down on him. "Shut up!" she shouted ruthlessly. With some effort she controlled herself and said a bit more gently, "Nuka, go take care of the young ones and don't bother me again. All our plans are ruined. Why did Zubari have to act so soon? This wasn't our plan!"

"Is Dad okay?" asked the cub, clueless.

"You fool," Zira snarled. "Zubari is dead, and at Simba's hand!" She continued to roar and rampage for several more minutes before the messenger lioness suddenly gasped and bolted. Zira and her followers instantly went to the mouth of the cave with their teeth and claws ready.

They were not surprised to see Nala and her lionesses standing out in the rain.

"You devil!" Nala screamed at Zira. "Simba decrees that you and your followers are to be banished from the Pridelands forever!"

"Simba obviously didn't think it was important enough to come himself," Zira said mockingly. She knew the smart thing to do was to go now and escape with her life, but all she could think about was finishing what she had started. She had to kill Nala now, regardless of the odds.

Nala looked even more ferocious than Zira just then. "Simba is in no condition to fight," she explained, "so I came. He's at Pride Rock tearing what's left of your mate to shreds."

Zira pounced on her nemesis, imbedding her claws in the queen's skin and trying to drive her teeth into her enemy's neck. Nala sank to the ground and squirmed out of Zira's grasp. As she leapt free, the queen slashed her unsheathed paws across Zira's shoulder blades. Ignoring the pain and the blood, Zira got ready to pounce again, but she was suddenly surrounded by Nala's followers.

"You coward!" Zira shouted at Nala. "Don't you want to fight me yourself?"

The queen's blue eyes were grim. "I don't just want to fight you, Zira—I want to kill you. I want to see you torn up the way my cub was." Her gaze fell to the ground. "Fortunately for you, Zira, I am a loyal lioness. I won't go against Simba's word. Now get out of here!"

Zira laughed maniacally. "You're a pitiful coward," she said. "I will raise my cubs with or without the Pridelands. And then you'll be sorry you didn't kill me when you had the chance." Making sure her followers had her back, Zira turned and strode into the cave. She lifted the smallest cub in her mouth.

The oldest cub, Nuka, stared up at her with big, stupid-looking eyes. "What about me?"

"Carry your sister," ordered Zira.

Nuka whimpered again, but didn't dare cross his mother. He was in a state of shock about his father's sudden death. He hadn't even known about the plot to kill Simba's family. Shuddering, Nuka picked up his small sister Vitani. Nuka was short for his age and it was difficult for him to carry something so heavy, but he tried.

Under Nala's fierce eyes, Zira and her followers filed out of the cave and into the pouring rain. Zira was again tempted to drop her young son and attack Nala. However, common sense was reinstating itself in her head and she remembered the risk. If she struck now, her cub Kovu would be in grave danger. Kovu was the last cub who stood for something worthwhile—for Scar and Zubari.

Zira and the treacherous conspirators walked to the outlands. It seemed to Nuka that they walked for years. At last they found some kind of shelter—Nuka didn't recognize what it was—and they lay down to sleep. The cubs were too exhausted to move, and the lionesses were too angry and disappointed to do much of anything. Nobody noticed Zira awake and erect long into the night, mourning her husband and watching out for her only followers.

*********

How well Nuka remembered that morning! He felt so cold and empty and terrified. When he figured out that he was in the Outlands and had been sleeping in the shelter of an elephant's skeleton, he shuddered. Besides being gross and scary, this graveyard was the traditional home of the hyenas.

The next few days were terrible for everyone. In the graveyard there was nothing to eat, and everything was mysteriously silent. All the lionesses were on edge, expecting hyenas to attack at any moment. Nuka's stomach rumbled and he watched enviously as his younger siblings were nursed by Zira. Nuka was already weaned, but lately all he had been able to eat was a few locusts.

"Mother," Nuka said in his usual whiny voice.

"What is it now? I'm trying to take care of the cubs," Zira snarled.

"I'm a cub too."

Zira finished nursing Kovu and Vitani. She placed them between her front paws and roughly licked their fragile, dusty hides. "Nuka, you're not going to be a cub much longer," she said. Her voice was as dry as a canyon, with a low, rumbling growl always creeping into it. "Your father is dead, Nuka. You must be a big lion now, like he was. I'll need your help raising Kovu."

"But I don't want to be a big lion," Nuka pleaded, as if his mother could change his identity for him. "I want to stay a cub. Look, I'm so little. I might get stepped on!"

Something remotely close to a smile appeared on Zira's face. For a moment she was amused at her son's ability to communicate exactly what he felt, at his innocent transparency…but only for a moment. "We've been banished from the Pridelands," Zira reminded her oldest cub. "Life is going to be hard here, so you must toughen up…or you'll get left behind."

"Why did we get banished?" asked Nuka. "Did Daddy do something bad?"

Zira stopped bathing the cubs. Her face was hard as steel. "No, Nuka," she said grimly, "your father did the right thing. He tried to take up the kingship, which was his biggest dream. If he had succeeded, Scar would be avenged and you and Kovu would both be princes. But Simba would not allow it, and he killed my Zubari."

Nuka did not understand everything his mother said; but he knew that his father was dead, and it made him angry and upset. "Mother, it's not fair," he sobbed.

Zira stood up, towering over her son and looking down on him with flaming eyes. "Stop sniveling!" she roared. "Of course it's not fair. We can't wait around and depend on justice to work itself out, Nuka. We must act; we must fight for what we want or die! Now go make yourself useful!"

Nuka screeched loudly and darted for cover. This was going to be a long day.


	2. Zira the Leader

**Chapter 2: Zirathe Leader **

**A/N: This chapter majorly demonstrates Zira's determination, ferocity, and ability to manipulate even under stress. It also plays on Nuka's desire to for attention and his ability to express himself without shame. **

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"It's been three days!" One of the lionesses was pacing to and fro, eyeing Zira dangerously. "We still haven't found anything to eat. Without a strong leader, everyone is freaking out. There's nobody to keep us in order and fights are breaking out among our members! What are you going to do?"

Zira snarled, exposing her bone-crushing teeth. "I will keep things in order myself!"

The other lionesses—there were seventeen—looked surprised at Zira's announcement.

"Why are you staring?" Zira demanded. "We don't need a male to lead this Pride! I may not have a mane, but I am the boss. Have you forgotten that I was one of Scar's top coordinators? Scar's young son, Zubari, was my mate! Together Zubari and I set out to finish what Scar had begun."

She roared and dug her claws into the sandy dirt. "Are you all fools? Don't you remember Scar, and how hard he tried to make the perfect kingdom? Do you remember our bonds to him? You must help me avenge Scar and Zubari! Their ideals were grand—harmony with other animals, privileges for everyone, not just the royal family—a chance for any of you to be what you want most!"

Zira's words were cutting and impassioned, her eyes were like lights, and she held her audience enthralled. "Now is not the time to be killing each other! We must make ourselves strong, working together until we are capable of avenging our loved ones! Who's with me?"

At first all the lionesses were quiet. They didn't know how to react. Nuka had been in shelter using his body to keep his siblings warm. After hearing her speech, he walked over to his mother. He pranced between her legs and squeaked, "I'm with you, mommy!"

"Shut up!" snapped Zira, making her son shut his loud mouth instantly. She turned to her audience again. "Which of you will fight for me?"

All of the lionesses slowly turned their backs on Zira and started to walk away. They had been inspired by Zira at first, but they were more concerned with practical survival than with idealism. Many of them felt guilty for getting involved in conspiracy in the first place.

"Don't you DARE walk away!" raved Zira madly. "You can't hunt on your own. You won't be able to survive long without a male lion! My boy cubs are the only hope for your survival!"

At this, several of the easily influenced lionesses returned to Zira's side. They were not brave enough to try to live on their own. The other felines thought that returning to the Pridelands was the best option.

Zira laughed at them coldly. "What makes you think Simba will let you come back? My husband murdered Simba's son! In the king's eyes, we are all murderers! He is too wise to let you back into his pride. The population at Pride rock was too great anyway—soon he would have started killing you off himself. Face it—you're all worthless."

"Well you're not helping by rubbing that in," the others said.

Zira's expression changed. "I hope you don't think I'm chasing you away too. I am a follower of Scar, the true king! You may be worthless to Simba, but not to me! I welcome you into this pride. Join me…if you want a future."

Another third of the lionesses agreed to join Zira. There were only a few rebels now. One such feline stepped forward and said adamantly, "Zira—what we did was wrong. We should never have plotted Kopa's death. You've lied to us all so often, it's probable that Simba is not as evil as you make him out to be. I'm leaving."

That was the last word ever spoken by the noble, rebellious lioness. As soon as she turned her back, Zira was on top of her. The rebel struggled, but she was too surprised by the attack to stand a chance. In a matter of minutes Zira destroyed the lioness.

"That is what happens to those who betray me," stated Zira savagely. Blood was still visible on her teeth as she talked. Nuka stared open-mouthed at his murderous mother. "Now," continued Zira, as if nothing had happened, "who's with me?"

This time there was a cheer from the lionesses. They roared and shouted enthusiastically, too afraid to refuse. Zira let the sound of their praises wash over her, giving her a moment of respite from her constant pain and stress. From now on, she had to be the glue that kept her Pride together. Somehow, some way, she had to keep these lions alive until Kovu grew.

"And then," she said in a low voice, "justice will be done."

Nuka tried to shake off the image of his mother tearing at the lioness's bloody body. He refused to think about it. He could see that Zira was stressed out. Boldly, Nuka said, "You don't have to be so upset. I can catch grasshoppers for you! Hee hee!"

Zira nearly tripped over her loud, annoying cub. "Stop running around like an insect," she said. "Nuka, I am not upset. I cannot afford to be upset, and neither can you. Be strong like Scar, understand?"

Nuka said he understood, but his face suggested otherwise. He was completely baffled. Why was his mother ignoring her own feelings? Why was she lying? "That must be what _strong_ means," Nuka decided.

"Nuka!"

The cub was startled by his mother's sudden change of voice. He wondered what was wrong, and it took him several seconds to notice that he and the lionesses were surrounded by strange creatures. How did the creatures get there, he wondered?

"Nuka, go inside and take care of your brother and sister," ordered Zira grimly. "Stay quiet. I don't want the Hyenas to know that Scar's only heir lies vulnerable."

Frightened, Nuka obeyed. He knew that Hyenas were the rivals of the lions, and although they were smaller, they were fierce competition. Nuka tried to listen to what the grown-ups were talking about, but he kept getting distracted by the other cubs who constantly squirmed in their sleep. Especially Kovu—he wouldn't stop moving. In contrast, Vitani was so still that Nuka wondered if she were alright. Occasionally she would open her eyes, which were clear and readable in expression; but she did not make a sound.

Suddenly Nuka jumped, surprised. A raucous, crazy sound broke out from outside. The Hyenas were making the sound. It was sort of like laughter, but not like Zira's cruel chuckles. It was an obnoxious and completely expressive laugh. To his surprise, Nuka liked the insane cackling. It made him want to giggle. Before he knew what he was doing, Nuka was rolling with laughter.

That was a mistake. He stopped laughing when he heard shouting from outside. He heard his mother and the other lionesses making threats—were they about to fight the Hyenas? Suddenly Zira jumped inside, standing over her cubs with a ferocious snarl on her face. Nuka shrieked and dove for cover.

_That's right, hide, you idiot_, Zira thought bitterly. _You've endangered us all with your noise!_ Out loud, she addressed the ten Hyenas that were staring curiously into the elephant skeleton where her cubs were hiding. "I am pleased to meet so noble a band of hunters," she told them. "But you move too fast. We won't just let you into our store of meat."

The lead Hyenas, Shenzi and her mate Bonsai were vastly amused. "Noble hunters?" repeated Shenzi, laughing. "You think you can sweet talk us like baby wildebeests? I don't think so, sister!" She laughed again.

Bonsai cocked his head and narrowed his wild eyes. "Did you say somethin' about a store of meat? I don't smell no meat! Spill the beans, man—what's in there?"

"Why do you care?" Zira demanded harshly. She realized she was overreacting, so she tried to play it cool. "Let's not quarrel, my friends. We were teammates under Scar, weren't we?"

"Scar, oh I remember him," said Shenzi coolly. "He was the guy who starved us when he was king. His promises ain't worth a ball of zebra spit! If I remember right, Scar called us his enemies as soon as Simba came back."

"That's what I remember," agreed Bonsai.

"Ed?" the two Hyenas chorused.

The insane Hyena Ed let out a maniacal little chortle when he heard Scar's name mentioned. He licked his lips, remembering the night when Scar was overthrown and he and the other Hyenas had feasted on his flesh.

Zira remembered that night too. She grew wrathful thinking of it—her role model, her inspiration, her own family member ruthlessly consumed by the treacherous Hyenas. "Scar didn't call you enemies just to save his own life—he was looking out for all of you. You should have known not to take it literally!" There was hate in her voice.

In contrast there was a chuckle in Shenzi's voice. "Oh, so we're _not_ supposed to take Scar's words literally? I agree with you there. Just wish I would have known that before he lied to us about plentiful food! Thanks to him, we've lost half the clan!"

Zira knew she couldn't stall much longer. She was getting nowhere with the Hyenas. It was time for action. Without warning she jumped forward and slashed Shenzi across the face, at the same time calling other lionesses to pick up the cubs and run.

Led by Zira, half the lionesses were instantly in battle with the Hyenas. They fought just long enough to give the rest of the pride—including the cubs—a head-start. Nuka watched as his two baby siblings were roughly grabbed and evacuated; but nobody bothered to pick him up. Scared as usual, Nuka hollered piteously.

His mother's angry voice rang out, "Run, you idiot!"

Whimpering, Nuka obeyed. He and the escaping lionesses were soon joined by the other half of the pride. "We really gave those Hyenas something to scream about," said one of the big cats. "And it's all thanks to you, Zira. Quick thinking."

Zira did not answer but only rolled her eyes. She had always possessed the ferocity and brains to be a good leader, and she didn't let anybody forget it. "How is Kovu?" she asked as they trotted along.

"He's fine, but he's a wild one!" answered the other lion. "I can't wait till he grows up. He'll be just like our Scar."

"More than I can say for some," Zira added as her loudmouthed son Nuka pranced around her. "Now, we can't stay here in the graveyard with the Hyenas around. We must go to the outlands. There isn't a lot of water there…but we'll manage."

"Is everything going to work out, mommy?" asked Nuka.

"I will _make_ it work, son," she answered.


	3. The Chosen One

**Chapter 3: The Chosen One**

Life in the outlands was going to be the hardest adjustment Nuka had ever been through. He was only able to eat a small amount of what the lionesses brought back, because they never brought enough. Zira was usually in charge of the hunting parties, and nobody took care of Nuka while she was away. So Nuka learned to take care of himself. For a while he would sneak off far from the safety of the cave, but his fears and doubts soon the got the better of him and he tended to be more homey.

While he was not wandering around looking for food, Nuka was taking care of his siblings. They were fully weaned now and Kovu talked a lot. For a while it seemed like all Vitani did was sit around and stare. Then she would say something surprisingly clever or sarcastic that summed up what everybody was thinking. She was a very pensive cub.

Kovu was much more fun. He played with Nuka a lot. When the day was done, though, Nuka would often go to bed feeling angry at his young brother. Zira always gave Kovu more food and more attention.

"Why are you spoiling him?" Nuka demanded of his mother.

"I must make sure our future king has proper nutrition," Zira replied smugly. "He is Scar's favorite, the chosen one to lead us! And don't you start that whimpering. What have I taught you?"

"To be a good lion, I need to be strong like Scar," said Nuka mechanically. "Scar was smart and he knew that too much emotion could endanger the situation. There, I said it." He frowned. "But mommy, I don't want to be strong. I wanna be…Nuka."

"Nuka isn't good enough as he is," answered Zira, either ignorant or careless of the cruelty of her words. "You are growing fast. It's high time you started carrying your own weight. You must learn to shut your mouth, you must stop calling me 'mommy', and you must learn how to hunt."

"But that's girl's work," said Nuka rudely.

"You will learn to do what I say!" Zira snarled impatiently. "When times are this hard everyone must fight for himself. Come with me tomorrow, and I'll show you how."

At this turn of events, Nuka was both pleased and nervous. He was delighted to get attention from Zira, but he doubted that he would be a good hunter.

Dusk the next day, Zira and her quickly growing son set out to look for prey. Zira kept giving bits of advice to Nuka, who clumsily stumbled behind her. He was anxious to prove himself to his mother. If only she would be proud of him…

Hunting did not go well, as Nuka suspected. He was a fast learner so he adopted the basic procedure of hunting; but when it came to the killing, he would chicken out. His mother criticized his cowardice. "I'm not scared," Nuka lied. However, there was more on his mind than fear. "I know we have to kill to eat, but why do we have to, um, enjoy it? You like killing things. I thought we were supposed to respect other creatures."

"You must learn survival of the fittest, Nuka," Zira snarled. "If you don't defend yourself, no one will. I can't always have your back. You're out of cubhood now. You're lucky I don't just drive you away like most lions would."

Nuka thought about his mother's words. He was not a heavy thinker so none of this had occurred to him before, but he was becoming a formidable young beast. On the way home, Nuka looked at his reflection in the water. He was stunned at how much he had grown, and also how thin he was. Kovu was round and healthy, but Nuka could make out the outlines of his ribs. His mane, though pitiful, was more developed than it had been. Nuka was an adolescent, too tall to prance between his mother's paws.

A few seasons passed and Nuka continued to have fun with his little brother. They would always get into trouble together, stealing food and wandering farther than they were allowed. Vitani often accompanied them, but she was more levelheaded than both boys put together. When Nuka and Kovu would stare at a wildebeest's skeleton, they would think about the meat that used to be there and feel hungry. Vitani was more likely to say something like, "I wonder how this beast died…he was probably separated from his herd…the three of us must remember not to separate from the herd."

"We don't live in a herd; we live in a pride," Nuka said, shallowly. Meanwhile Kovu just blinked, uninterested.

On their many adventures, Nuka was the one who did crazy things, and Kovu followed his lead. Vitani grew very protective of Kovu and was always faithful to him.

The cubs had a hard life with little food, but with Zira's ferocious determination they survived. The weakest lioness, who did not have the gut or strength to fight for food, died of starvation. The pride now consisted of fifteen lions, and all of them were scrawny and unfit. All except for Kovu, who was about as healthy as a Pridelander's cub, though a bit shorter.

One day when Zira was out hunting and Nuka was staring at his tall, puny body in the water, Vitani walked up to him. "Nuka," she said abruptly, "Dad was a murderer, wasn't he?"

Nuka started back, surprised. "Well, of course he was! But…that's because Simba was so nasty to our Scar. It's not like Simba deserves to be, like, king or anything."

"How do you _know_ that?" Vitani's green eyes were fierce and questioning. "Mother_ tells_ us that Simba is bad, but we don't _know_. He might seem bad to us, but we seem bad to him. It's heard to tell what's really bad and what's relay good."

Nuka frowned. "You're a little smarty pants," he said. "I mean, who thinks about that kind of stuff? Why don't you just go play with Kovu?" Despite his exclamation, Nuka did think about his sister's words a little. He wondered if Zira was fighting for the right thing, or just being cruel to get revenge. Nuka always knew that his mother was bitter, and he thought it was caused by Simba. Whatever really happened with Scar and Simba didn't matter, though—what mattered was that Zira had the capacity of mind to go on with her life. But she didn't.

"Maybe you should talk to mother about it," Nuka said later.

"No, I prefer to make my own theories," Vitani replied. "You could talk to her."

Nuka reeled back clumsily. "What?! Mother never listens to me anymore!"

Vitani grinned. "Come on, what's this really about? Oh I get it—you don't want her to lecture you about Scar again. I wonder why? Maybe you're afraid that you won't live up to Scar's standards, or mother's."

"I'm not afraid!" Nuka scoffed, his voice loud and off-key as always.

Nuka thought about the conversation all night. Restless, he finally went to see Zira. Before he got to there, though, Nuka heard Vitani already talking to Zira. He shuddered as he listened to Zira's long and impassioned explanation of her vicious murders in the past. She tried hard to justify herself, but Nuka shook his head unconvinced. Zira and Scar and Zubari sounded like they might once have been idealists, but they turned bitter and did evil things without just cause.

"Well." Nuka could hear the smile in his mother's voice. "Now, go wake up Kovu. Tonight we must begin his training. I will teach him to become even more ferocious than Scar."

"But Mother," Vitani's little voice came, "I don't think this is best."

"Even if you don't understand my drastic measures," Zira answered, "you must see that it is your duty to protect your family. You must help Kovu. He is our only hope—our only way of getting out of this forsaken badland. If you don't help your pride, you might as well be dead!"

"Yes," said Vitani, bowing her head and feeling more overwhelmed than any cub her age should; "Kovu is the chosen one. I will conform to him and your plans for him."


	4. Breaking the Silence

**Chapter 4: Breaking the Silence**

A storm of emotions were raging wildly inside of Nuka as he listened to Vitani and Zira from the shadows. He had never really been aware of a sense of right and wrong before now—but suddenly he _was_ aware. He knew that Zira's murders, Zira's schemes, had no more to do with idealism than Scar's had. It was hate, shame, and bitter emotions that had driven these lions to attack the innocent Pridelanders. Zira was wrong to use her son for her own quest of revenge. Zira was wrong to force Nuka and Vitani to conform to the same ways of thinking.

Nuka did not want to conform. He had never wanted to conform. He only wanted to be loved as he was, loved and respected by his mother. He wanted to prance around and be as loud and crazy as he could—he wanted to be the way he was made.

Nuka was great at expressing himself, and always had been. Unfortunately one of his more frequently identified emotions was fear; fear of rejection, fear of pain, and now—fear of the punishment he might get if he acted against Zira.

But there really was no choice, was there? Nuka was the oldest male lion, and the strongest in the pride next to Zira. He could lead these lions. He could take the leadership away from Zira. Then he would go beyond the outlands to look for better hunting ground. After all, it was crazy to stay in this place, half-starving, waiting for the day when an innocent cub would become a murderer vicious enough to carry on an inane generational vendetta.

"Vitani, go wake up Kovu," Zira repeated.

Nuka stepped into plain sight. "Wait a second, Vitani! You don't have to listen to _her_!"

Zira turned to face her son with an evil grin. "Ah, it's about time you came out. I've heard you squeaking and shivering in the shadows for some time. Now forget about this nonsense and help me with Kovu."

Nuka flinched at his mother's condescending sneer, but he was only silent for a moment. "No, mother," he said shakily. "I—I'm not going to let you turn my brother into another Scar."

The smile vanished off Zira's face and a fierce glow came into her eye. "You don't know what you're saying," she snarled, advancing toward him menacingly. "You'd better back down now before I take disciplinary measures!"

Nuka stepped backward as Zira stepped forward. Without looking her in the eye, Nuka blurted out, "_Mother_, I'm the oldest and the strongest! I can lead this pride. I mean, who cares about Scar and all that when we could be stuffing our bellies with good food?"

"Food?" growled Zira with doubled fury. "Is that all you can think about? If you will not step down and rid us of your idiocy, then I will _make_ you move!"

Claws extended, she jumped at her own son. Nuka screeched "Yowch!!!" as her claws were implanted and then roughly ripped out of his shoulders. Zira's teeth came down for Nuka's neck, but he squirmed out of her grip and quickly jumped backward to avoid another pounce. "Mother, I don't want to fight you!" he exclaimed.

"You were the one who wanted to assert yourself," Zira roared; "don't blame me for it! You will fight and kill me for leadership _or_ you can serve me and Kovu! There is no middle ground!"

She pounced again, and against his better judgment Nuka swiped his oversized paw at her side. This threw her off balance, but caused no real harm because Nuka had not used his claws. He pounced on top of her and quickly moved his head from side to side, avoiding the throws of her bony paws. Tired of dodging, Nuka held his mother's paws to the ground.

Zira stopped struggling. "Well down, Nuka," she said. "If you weren't such a coward you could probably teach Kovu a thing or two. Now, you must finish the task. Take the leadership with brutality, take it like Scar would." A smile slowly played across the lioness' muzzle. "You could kill me," she restated; "or you could back down…and have my respect."

Nuka, somewhat thickheaded, was incapable of seeing that his mother was just manipulating him. Of course he knew he could never kill her. Nuka loved his mother, probably more than he loved anything in the world. If only he had planned better—he based everything on the hope that Zira would just step down. Now he saw that could never happen. And here she was, giving Nuka a chance at being loved for who he was.

Stupidly, Nuka move off his mother. "I want respect," he said eagerly. "But I also think I can lead if you'd give me a chance. So, if you could just think about it, maybe—"

He never got any further, because the moment Zira was not held down, she attacked. Before Nuka knew was happening he was receiving the full fury of her incessant blows. She did not use her claws but pounded his face and sides with her heavy paws. Nuka relied on his last hope now—the pact of loyalty and understanding between him and his younger brother.

"Kovu is on my side!" he cried. "Ask him! Ask him! You have to do what he says, right? He's the chosen one!"

Zira paused, but only for a moment. She eyed little Kovu and Vitani who were staring at the whole scene in horror and confusion. "Kovu my little one," said Zira with a smile, "will you stand up for your brother?" There was a cruel gleam in her eye which at that moment only Kovu understood.

The little cub bowed his head sadly. His tail drooped on the ground. "Nuka is an idiot," he muttered.

Nuka's mouth dropped and he stared for a moment in shock. Then a fit of wrath and hurt came over him and he shouted, "You spoiled little brat! You're not a king; you're a treacherous little locust!"

"Do not speak to the chosen one like that!" exclaimed Zira. She pounded on Nuka again sometimes using her claws. Nuka finally got enough gut to stop howling and push his assailant away. Then, bleeding and crying, Nuka ran out of sight.


	5. Losing Oneself

**Chapter 5: Losing Oneself**

After the confrontation Kovu looked up at his mother, looking for some kind of relief from the trauma. Zira coldly told her son that he could go to sleep, and Kovu cried himself to sleep. He had seen his big brother, his role model, make a stand for what was right. Nuka was always loud and expressive, but he always got punished for it. He got punished for breaking the silence of hate and hidden emotions. Kovu had been expressive too—but no more.

From that day on, Kovu was different. He wasn't the playful cub he used to be. For the remainder of his cub-hood he did some mock-fighting with Vitani and a lot of training with Zira, but he was always quiet, devoid of emotion most times, and he was extremely submissive to his mother.

Any deep, personal ties Kovu had to Nuka seemed to be severed now. After his betrayal, Nuka would only think of Kovu as a spoiled brat.

As more time passed, Nuka remembered every single bruise his mother gave him. Part of him still desperately sought to assert himself, but he could not bear to share this with his mother anymore. He took all his anger out on Kovu, the obnoxious cub who ruined his chances as leader. At times Nuka acted completely out of spite, letting Kovu wander far from safety while he did what he pleased.

On one such occasion Nuka had been hunting field mice. He looked incredibly like Scar as he caught the small creatures and screamed out loud complaints. "I'll never be a leader, thanks to Kovu! I could make things right! I wouldn't starve everybody!" Then he had to stop and scratch his bone-thin sides which were infested by little parasites.

Instead of eating the field mice himself, Nuka decided to give them to his mother. It was a good way to soften her toward him and then—maybe they could talk. Vitani walked out of the cave and asked where Kovu was. Nuka, scratching his back against anything available, replied that he didn't really care and complained about his sorrows. He knew that Vitani was the closest thing to a good listener that was available. She always listened to his complaints, although she often made sarcastic remarks about them too.

When Zira returned, she was carrying young Kovu. Her fury at Nuka's irresponsible behavior ruined any chances of a peaceable talk. Meanwhile Kovu, internally fearful as always, apologized profusely for playing with Simba's cub.

"I thought mother killed Simba's cub," whispered the less than genius Nuka.

"That was his son, you idiot," Vitani whispered back. "Now, Simba has a daughter."

Soon the whole story was on the table and Zira was plotting Simba's demise via Kiara. As Kovu grew, surpassing everyone in strength in strength and skill, Nuka's hope started to waver. He had once hoped that he could help make things right and stand up for himself. Now, he spent all his time sucking up to Zira, clawing, prying, for just a little of her love.

Living in the outlands was taking a toll on his health, physically and emotionally. Soon Nuka started thinking that he would do anything to get away from the outlands and into someplace better, like the Pridelands. He was angry and disappointed in himself, in Kovu, in his mother. He longed and craved for recognition and love. Even little signs of affection would have made Nuka feel wonderfully glorified. Because he wasn't getting the glory he needed, Nuka started to think that he should go along with his mother. If he was good, maybe he would get some glory. Nuka cared about his family, not just himself. By arguing with is mother, was he making things worse for everybody?

Slowly, even Nuka began to conform to the mindset that destroyed Scar, Zubari, and Zira.

Kovu grew into a mighty lion, still smaller than Simba but younger and stealthier. His fur was reddish like Scar's had been, his mane was dark chocolate, and his mysterious eyes were emerald green. Zira smiled as she circled around her son, examining his every muscle and claw. Kovu showed no sign of anxiousness as he was reviewed; years of living with Zira had taught him not to show any emotion—except anger and rage.

As Nuka watched, he realized that he still cared about Kovu deep down. It troubled him to see Kovu made into something he was not—made into a monster. Vitani broke Nuka out of his thoughts by dragging him along to the hyena's old hideout. A few years back the Hyenas had fled because of the lack of food. Although the hot springs and the bones everywhere scared Nuka to some degree, he was grabbed a torch and followed his sister.

"I can't believe Kovu is really going to do it," Nuka raved loudly. "He's a selfish brat, like I always said!"

"Selfish?" repeated Vitani, her voice muffled because she was holding the stick. "Well we're all selfish, for that matter. I guess it depends on how you define selfish."

"I'm just a simple lion," Nuka whined like a martyr. "I didn't ask for all this murdering and starving and termites! I never agreed to it. But does anybody listen to me? No!" He calmed down a little. "Speaking of being selfish, though—maybe you're right. Maybe it's selfish of me to go against mother."

"Yes, it is," Vitani answered, as they neared the end of the hyena territory. "It's our duty to help our pride. I would do anything for Kovu, and I would do anything to see this family happy and fit in the Pridelands. You ought to be grateful; your little brother is saving our tails!"

"Oh whatever," said Nuka, though he was really starting to agree with her. Helping to start the fire was the next step in helping his family. Not to mention it was the first important mission Zira had ever given him, and he was basking in the pride of it. He prepared to set fire to the land.


	6. The Plan in Action

**Chapter** **6: The Plan in Action**

Nuka had always been extremely excitable. There were many other instances besides his outburst of crazy laughter which nearly brought the hyenas into his shelter so long ago. Feeling optimistic about his mission, Nuka pranced around the dry fields spreading fire and laughing hysterically. "Roasty toasty princess," he chanted.

Vitani rolled her eyes.

After starting the fire, Vitani and Nuka went back to the cave and reported everything to Zira. The leading lioness said that Kovu had not returned—a good sign. "Nuka, come with me," she ordered when things got dusky. "We're going to make sure Kovu succeeded."

Excited to be with is mother, Nuka went with her to Pride Rock under cover of darkness. He saw Kovu talking with an adolescent lioness—Kiara? Nuka didn't care whether or not Kovu hurt Kiara. Still, he wanted to suck up to Zira so he pretended to be affronted at Kovu's reserve. "He let her go!" Nuka exclaimed.

On the way home, Zira remarked, "Well Nuka, you're as crazy as ever, but a little less rebellious."

"I want to see us all happy!" Nuka answered with a wacky-looking grin. "Even if I think it should be done differently," he added under his breath.

Nuka heard nothing from Kovu until a few nights later when Vitani came back with devastating news. "Kovu didn't follow the plan!" she said, her eyes full of confusion and worry. _What's happening to my brother, _she thought?_ Why is he betraying me?_

Zira rallied her lionesses and took off for Pride Rock to help Kovu along in the plan. She stil held to the hope that Kovu was on her side, just waiting for the right moment. Zira ordered Nuka to stay behind and guard the cave, but he couldn't stand it. Always one to break the rules, Nuka bounded after the lionesses.

He found them chasing and attacking Simba in the Pridelands. Simba tried to escape Zira by climbing up the dam made out of logs and sticks. Kovu was at the top, but instead of attacking, he ran away. Nuka had seen a hurt look on his face—as if he didn't want Simba to die.

A mix of emotions threatened to freeze Nuka in indecision. Part of him felt strangely proud of Kovu, proud that his brother had done the right thing instead of adhering to Zira. That same part of him pitied Simba, the great lion king who was now so helpless.

But the other part of Nuka seemed stronger—the part that longed for affirmation and glory. He had to kill Simba himself, or see his mother devastated and his own chances of leadership ruined. Impulsively, Nuka jumped after Simba, scaling the dam with ease. "I'll do it for you, mother!" he cried.

He was getting closer to Simba now. "Mother, are you watching?! I'm doing it for you and I'm doing it for me!" He dug his claws into Simba's back leg and mercilessly pulled downward. "This is my moment of glory!" he laughed.

Simba struggled, loosening the sticks and logs under him. He broke free of Nuka's grasp, at the same moment knocking down several pieces of wood. Simba escaped over the top of the dam, but Nuka slipped, fell, and yelped as a heavy log knocked the breath of out of him. A second log rolled down and whammed against Nuka's head. For a moment, pain coursed through his whole body; and then he was numb.

It seemed like ages before Zira moved the log off his head and gasped in shock and grief. "I'm sorry, m-mother," Nuka whispered weakly. "I tried."

Zira caressed Nuka's head with her paw. It was the first time Zira had touched him, except to hit and scratch, since his cub-hood. "Shh," Zira whispered. This was the very first time Nuka had ever seen sympathy on his mother's face.

Nuka slipped out of consciousness, and Zira bowed her head. She knew that she could not save her son. "Scar," she prayed, "watch over my poor Nuka."

Vitani bowed her head, too grieved to speak. She could do nothing but watch as Zira took out her rage on the treacherous Kovu. Scarred, bleeding, and shamed, Kovu ran away.

"Simba has hurt me for the last time!" Zira announced wrathfully. "Now he has corrupted Kovu! Simba is weak and injured. We will take his entire Kingdom…by FORCE!" she shouted.

Immediately Zira and all the lionesses prepared for battle—all except Vitani who still stood beside Nuka, hoping he would wake up. She told Zira, "Go ahead, mother. I'll catch up. I just want to say goodbye to Nuka one last time."

Zira agreed, and Vitani was left alone with her older brother. She was silent for a while, holding back tears. But the tears refused to be held back. "Listen here, Nuka," said Vitani savagely, "I've never cried before in my life! Now you have to go and die…and ruin everything!"

Nuka's eyes were closed and he was unresponsive.

"Don't pretend you don't care!" Vitani snarled. "You always cared. You were spiteful to Kovu, but you always cared. You're thickheaded and clumsy—but you never let that bother you. For all your complaining, you enjoyed life much more than we did. You always expressed yourself, you were always hyper and excitable, and you took pleasure in the simple things of life." Vitnai's voice fell. "You seemed like a coward, Nuka. But you were the brave one. You were the one who didn't adhere to Zira."

Slowly, the tears began to slow down and Vitani's rage was replaced by a cold, empty feeling. "I used to think it was the right thing to serve my family," she murmured. "But now…I'm not so sure. I can't protect everybody—I couldn't protect you. The truth is, I don't even know the meaning of family. I was only protecting myself from being alone."

She looked at Nuka again. "Big brother…I used to be the wise one. Now I don't know right from wrong or up from down. Should I stay in this pattern of suffering, or do the hard thing and break away from my family? Should I follow your lead? You've always been a rebel—going after Simba was the first thing you'd ever done to really serve this pride."

For a few moments there was complete silence, and then a weak voice said, "…Vitani…"


	7. Nuka's Legacy

**Chapter 7: Nuka's Legacy**

Vitani jumped, surprised to hear her brother's voice. Nuka wasn't dead; not yet. "Nuka, you must stay quiet," Vitani whispered. "If you don't use up all your energy, you might survive!"

Something like a smile crossed Nuka's face. "I never shut up," he rasped.

Tears again. Vitani was crying more than she thought possible. "Don't go, Nuka!" she begged.

"Hey," Nuka said to her. "When I attacked Simba…"

"It was one of the first times you truly obeyed Zira," Vitania answered. "You should be proud."

"No…it was a screw up! Being a rebel is sometimes the right thing to do."

"I don't understand," Vitani said, shaking her head.

"Oh, come on, you're supposed to be the smarty pants," Nuka smiled. "Tell Kovu what I said!"

Vitani nodded, lost to words. Without knowing why, she pushed the other log off Nuka's body and curled up beside him. For just a moment they were a real family, brother and sister in love. Nuka sighed happily and closed his eyes, at last feeling affirmed. Vitani stayed with him until he stopped breathing.

Then, slowly and sadly, she stood up. "I love you Nuka," she sighed. Then she ran off, determined to find Kovu and talk to him.

Vitani made it to the battlefield and stood on a rock, looking for Kovu. Before Vitani could find him, Nala challenged her. The two lionesses locked into battle and Vitani forgot about Kovu as she tried to save her own life. Lionesses were dying left and right. The blood that poured from the wounds of all the lionesses seemed almost as plentiful as the rain.

After several minutes, the fighting suddenly stopped. Simba and Zira were fighting one-on-one, and all the other lions had stopped to watch. Just as they got ready to attack each other, Simba and Zira were interrupted by Kovu and Kiara.

_I can't believe it_, Vitani thought. _Kovu is actually standing up for himself! _She was captivated by the emotion on his face. When had he allowed his emotions to be an open book like this before? When had he rebelled against Zira before? He never had, not once.

Vitani also paid attention to Kiara. _Look at that spoiled princess,_ she though bitterly. _Kiara's prettier than anyone here and she knows it._ But as Vitani listened to Kiara's insightful words, her bitterness faded.

"Look at them!" Kiara told Simba. "They _are_ us! What differences do you see?"

Viatni's grim face softened. She stared at Simba and his lions and realized that _were_ all the same. They should be accepting each other, not fighting each other. Yes, they had hurts and emotional baggage, but nobody had yet tried a peaceable way of solving the problem. Vitani always wanted to protect her family, but now she saw that all lions were her family, in a sense.

"Vitani!" Zira snarled, indicating Simba. "Now!"

_Being a rebel is sometimes the right thing…_

"No, mother!" Vitani said defiantly. "Kiara is _right_." The brave young lioness left her mother's side and stood next to Kovu, who gave her an impressed glance. In a moment all the lionesses left alive from Zira's side had defected.

Unable to work through her pain, Zira pounced at Simba. She was at her fiercest now. Kiara jumped in the way and would have been killed by Zira if the pair of them had not toppled off the canyon. Kovu, Simba, and Vitani ran to the edge to help Kiara. The Princess was safe on a ledge, but Zira was holding onto sheer canyon wall, about to fall.

Vitani looked away when her mother fell. She looked at Kovu, who was staring into the gushing river with a heavy sigh. _Two deaths in less than twenty-four hours_, Vitani thought. _Not to mention all the lionesses killed in battle. I don't know how I can get through this._

"Let's go home," said Simba. "All of us," he added, smiling at Zira's former pride.

There was a strange mix of emotions going through everybody's brains. On the one hand they were relieved that the war was over, but on the other hand they were devastated by losing so many lionesses. At the start of the battle, Zira's pride consisted of fifteen lions plus herself and Vitani. Simba's pride had nineteen lionesses. Now there were only ten of Zira's lions, twelve of Simba's, and seven were critically injured.

Several months would pass between the time of the battle and the time of Kovu's admittance into the royal family. Those months were the hardest that Vitani and Kovu had ever lived. They missed Zira and Nuka, and the seven injured lions died. It helped to have loved ones around. Vitani liked to spend time with Simba and Nala, and she also took care of new cubs. Kovu spent almost all of his time with Kiara.

One day soon after the battle, Vitani was on top of Pride Rock feeling lost and alone. Kovu quietly walked up and sat beside her. "What hurts most?" he asked.

Vitani hesitated to answer. "I can't talk about it."

Kovu stared down at the kingdom. "For me," he sighed, "it's the guilt. I don't know…I love Kiara but sometimes I wonder if I did the right thing betraying Zira."

Suddenly Vitani remembered that she was supposed to tell Kovu something. "Before Nuka died, he told me to tell you something. Sometimes being a rebel is the right thing."

Kovu smiled and seemed to relax. "That's good to hear." He was silent for a moment, and then he turned and looked Vitani in the eye. "I think Nuka would want to give you some advice too. Remember how loud and expressive he always was? Well…we can learn from him. It's important to know what we're feeling and deal with it."

Vitani knew Kovu was right. She began to feel choked with tears again. Convinced but slightly annoyed, Vitani laughed, "Oh, that idiot Nuka! Even after he's dead he's showing us things! It will help us get through all the grief. I guess he'll be a loudmouth for all eternity."

Kovu smiled. "Yes," he agreed, "Nuka will never shut up."

**The End**


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